Many piping systems include valves and/or valve and circulator combinations that require a flange to connect the pipe to the valve and/or circulator. When conventional one piece flanges are securely attached, there is often only one position the circulator may take with respect to the flange. As many work spaces are already small, or otherwise awkward, having only one choice in the positioning of the circulator may be problematic for future replacement. The circulator may be forced into a position that it is difficult or awkward to reach for maintenance, or the valve handle of the circulator isolation valve may end up obstructed in one or more directions by the circulator so that the handle cannot be turned all the way in one or more directions, thus affecting valve function.
Flanges are also typically used to connect circulators or other pumps to other parts of a piping system. In order to work properly, circulators must be oriented in a specific orientation so that the circulator motor is always in a horizontal position relative to the motor shaft. Damage to the motor can result otherwise. However, the flanges of a circulator volute are fixed and are oriented in either a horizontal or vertical plane relative to the circulator motor, which can make it impossible to replace a faulty circulator with one that a plumber or HVAC professional may have with him that has volute flanges oriented 90° from the flanges on the circulator that must be replaced. The plumber or HVAC professional may simply attach a new circulator of the same volute flange orientation to the existing flanges, but would need to remove and reattach the existing flanges in order to utilize a circulator he may have with him with a volute flange orientation 90° from the installed flanges in the system. It is usually more cost effective to simply install a replacement circulator of the same volute flange orientation.
There are currently two-piece flanges on the market that allow the orientation of the flange to be altered relative to the pipe. Unfortunately, when these flanges are used to attach circulators, the weight of the circulator can eventually force the circulator to rotate and become misaligned relative to other components in the system. Circulator motors must always maintain a horizontal position relative to the motor shaft, per manufacturers' instructions.
Therefore there is a need for a flange that allows a valve to be attached thereto in more than one position and that will not rotate from the weight of a circulator.